Amazing Medical Discovery: Transfusions of Young Blood Appear to Rejuvenate the Elderly
October 18, 2012 |
Human history-altering newsflash: Scientists have demonstrated that injections of youthful blood carry semi-magical, rejuvenating qualities--at least for gray-whiskered mice. The researchers believe that the same might hold true for humans, suggesting that diseases like Alzheimer’s and indeed aging itself might be prevented through the transfusion of the youth’s vigorous lifeblood.
To clarify: No, this revelation is not the premise of the next blowout romance-vampire movie trilogy. It is a real scientific discovery made in Stanford University’s laboratories and presented earlier this week at the Society for Neuroscience conference in New Orleans.
The study showed that 18-month-old mice who had been received eight transfusions of young blood had a much easier time making it through the a watery maze than the old mice who had not received any transfusions.
"They were 18 months old but they were acting much younger, like a four to six-month-old," said Dr. Villeda, one of the lead researchers.
The study also demonstrated that older mice who had received the blood transfusions also began to grow new synopses in their brain--connections which are essential for the retention of memory.
This result holds promise far beyond solving the plight of grandparents accompanying their grandchildren through those pesky Halloween hay labyrinths. The researchers said that this information could, in the future, be used to prevent mental aging itself.
"Do I think that having young blood could have an effect on a human? I am thinking more and more that it might,” said Dr. Villeda.
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